Discover the seemingly endless clay mask benefits for skin, from cleaning out your pores, to helping with blackheads, blemishes and fine lines. Clay masks come directly from mother Earth and is a magical, natural skin care ingredient that should definitely be a part of your routine!
>> PS – Be sure to visit my Amazon Storefront where you will find curated selection of my absolute favorite beauty products (all available on Amazon)
I have a confession to make, girls: I am addicted to clay masks for years now. If it were up to me, I’d do it every day simply because the effects of bentonite clay are instant, making it a gratifying process in my beauty care routine.
However, as with everything else in life, doing it in excess will have a reverse effect and can actually make your skin worse.
In this post, I will go over all the benefits of different color clay masks, which clay mask can help with acne and all its other health benefits (and why doing a clay mask every day is bad for your skin)
Table of Contents
All Your Questions About the Clay Mask Benefits, Answered
How Clay Works to Nourish the Skin
Clay masks go beyond a luxurious feel at the end of a spa session.
white clay purchased on Amazon
Probably the most predominant function of medicinal clay is its impressive power to draw out toxicity from within the body and from the surface of the skin.
This alone can improve the overall quality and health of your skin by enhancing the skin’s surface immunity and greatly reducing inflammation.
However, this isn’t the only way that clay works to improve the integrity of your skin.
Clays are also rich in beautifying minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron, silica, sodium, copper, and potassium. Its detoxifying abilities, nutritive qualities, and microbial balancing properties give clay many reasons to be praised by beauty gurus for centuries.
Below, I will cover how clay masks can improve skin health, heal the skin, and promote youthful, beautiful, glowing skin complexion.
What Are The Benefits of Clay Masks
- Detoxifies & Purifies the Skin
- Oxygenates the Cells
- Unclogs and Shrinks Skin Pores
- Regulates Sebum Production
- Softer, Smoother & Glowing Skin
- Rejuvenates & Regenerates the Skin
- Improves Skin Tone
- It’s Completely Natural
As you can tell, there seemingly endless clay mask benefits for skin. Clay masks come in a variety of colors, and each of them with a specific function: from reducing fine lines to controlling skin sebum and evening out skin tones and blemishes.
If you suffer from breakouts, clay masks are great for acne-prone oily skin as it draws out the impurities from deep in the pores. It also absorbs excess oils, as well as reduce surface shine and help reduce clogged pores.
It’s important to select a clay color that tackles your current need. If you have dry skin, for example, you should avoid black clay at all costs, as it is famously known for its drying properties (as I have oily skin, I enjoy doing a black clay mask on my t-zone before parties. It makes a huge difference in ‘grease mirror’ on my face, lol)
How do Clay Mask Work?
When hydrated (i.e. mixed with a bit of mineral water), clay is applied to the skin and left to dry. It binds to bacteria on the surface of the skin and deep into your pores.
In short, the clay will bring the dried up bacteria to the surface of the skin to then be washed away.
This act reduces the overpopulation of pathogenic bacteria to friendly microflora (which is responsible for bacterial skin problems, such as acne).
In other words, clay masks work as a natural antibiotic that can heal skin infections and even remedy issues like eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis.
Yesterday, I had a pimple on my cheek that had just opened on its own.
I was afraid it would get inflamed, so I did a quick white clay mask on my cheek + chin area to be sure the clay drained out any excess sebum left behind (I am not a fan of popping pimples myself).
Once I removed the mask, the bump was less inflamed and smaller, without me needing to touch it – A definite win for the clay mask!
How do Clay Masks Feel on the Skin?
After the application of a clay mask, you will feel your face tighten as the clay dries. As the clay dries, it naturally soaks up the skins natural oils and anything clogging the pores and draws it to the skin’s surface. Once you wash the mask off, you will feel a deep sense of cleanliness.
Over the course of time, with continual use, you will inevitably notice your pores becoming smaller.
How to Choose a Clay Mask Color?
As explained, different clays can do wonders for the skin: It can treat acne, reduces scars, treats psoriasis, regenerates skin tissue, draws out toxins from the skin, and more.
Below I will go over some of the most popular colors of clay mask
Different Clay Mask Colors and Their Benefits
White: Good for skin texture and smoothness (soothes and revitalizes)
White clay mask was the reason I got into clay mask to start with.
I had gone to my monthly blackhead extractions and my beautician recommended me buying white clay mask to use at home to help ease the blemishes from the extraction.
White clay soothes the skin, and it is perfect for sensitive and easily irritable skin. White clay gently cleanses the skin (excellent alternative cleanser for those with sensitive skin), purifies and detoxifies the pores, removing dirt, grime, pollution, germs, etc.
Again, I like to use white clay whenever I want to calm down my acne blemishes around my cheek and chin after a breakout. It works wonders.
Green: Good for oily skin, blackheads and pimples
Acne-sufferers unite! Green clay is here to make your day!
My absolute favorite clay has to be the green one! As I have oily skin, this mask really mattes out and helps me with breakouts. The green clay mask helps absorbs dirt and excess sebum from the skin.
Red: Good for wrinkles, fine lines, and redness
Thankfully, I don’t have many wrinkles yet, but I would rather prevent than to remediate, so I do one every 2 months or so. It also brightens and revives the skin.
Black: The Volcanic Clay (anti-inflammatory and anti-stress)
It is claimed the black mask has a little bit of every other benefit. I am a bit skeptical when something promises too much, so this is the one I least use. I also have a feeling it over-dries my skin, even it being oily.
Don’t Mix Metal and Clay
1 ) Mix it up with some mineral water (instead of tap water), or even with a bit of toner for added benefits.
2) Never use a metal spoon to mix clay mask + water. The metal will interact with the negative charge in the clay and decrease its effectiveness before it even makes it to your face. Opt for plastic, wooden, glass, or ceramic bowls instead.
The scientific reason behind this is because wood and other natural products like ceramic bowls, will not affect the negatively charged ions in the clay. However, metal spoons will.
Essentially, the metal will react with the clay, causing it to lose most of its healing properties (booo).
For this reason, I can’t recommend enough using accessories that aren’t metal (including the mixing bowl to make up the mask!).
Avoiding using metal products will undoubtedly enhance the clay mask benefits for skin.
How To Apply A Clay Face Mask
- Start with a freshly cleansed face
- Mix the clay powder with water (don’t use a silver spoon to mix it)*
- Apply a small amount of product evenly over your entire face and neck
- Let the mask gradually dry (this will take between five and ten minutes)
- When the mask is still slightly damp (i.e.not flaking off your skin), rinse with lukewarm water
- Gently remove any residue that is still clinging to your face with a damp washcloth
*If you are creating a DIY activated charcoal face mask, do not use a metal spoon or a metal bowl. In a nutshell, the metal reacts with the clay reducing most of its healing properties.
Tip: The drier and more sensitive your skin, the damper you want the mask to be when you remove it
Below, I will answer some frequently asked questions regarding clay masks.
Clay Masks FAQ
Should I Moisturize After a Clay Mask?
After removing the facemask with lukewarm water, dry your face with a clean towel, and leave your skin to rest for a few minutes. Clay masks tend to dry your skin, that’s why it is important to follow up with a moisturizer.
How often should I use clay mask ? Can I use clay mask everyday?
No more than three times a week.
How long should I leave on my clay mask?
Great question, and here is where most people make a huge mistake: they leave the mask on for too long (meaning, to the point where your face gets all dry and stiff).
However, this is a huge no-no: due to the powerful absorption of impurities, you don’t want to leave a clay mask on for very long. Active clay can start to suck out all the goodness from your skin as well as the bad.
Clay masks should only be worn for 10-15 minutes, being best not to let them dry completely.
Do You Clay Masks bring Out Pimples?
When it comes to treating acne, experts agree: Clay is a miracle worker.
As mentioned, in addition to being rich in beneficial minerals, clay can draw out and soak up acne-causing impurities.
With its absorbent, exfoliating and astringent properties, clay not only tackles the root causes of acne but also treats ongoing symptoms that plague breakout-prone skin. Woot-woot!
USING A CLAY MASK AS A SPOT TREATMENT.
Did you know that clay face masks can double as spot treatments? Simply dab a small amount on a pimple and let it work its magic overnight.
Conclusion
If you haven’t tried clay masks yet, this is a sign for you to give it a go right now. You have to trust me on this one. There is a reason why clay masks get rave reviews for years.
The best part: it is a natural resource from the Earth. This means you don’t have to be fooled into buying expensive, unnecessary packages from famous brands. You can just as easily do clay masks yourself from scratch at home (such as I do).
So… which color of clay mask will you try first?
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